Culture – CatholicVote.orghttps://www.catholicvote.org
The mission of CatholicVote.org is to educate and inspire Americans of all faiths to prioritize the issues of life, faith, and family.Fri, 09 Dec 2016 11:00:46 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.1The CatholicVote Podcast is at the intersection of faith, politics, and popular culture. Subscribe to the CV Podcast today.Culture – CatholicVote.orgcleanCulture – CatholicVote.orgmercer@catholicvote.orgmercer@catholicvote.org (Culture – CatholicVote.org)The mission of CatholicVote.org is to educate and inspire Americans of all faiths to prioritize the issues of life, faith, and family.Culture – CatholicVote.orghttps://catholicvote.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/CV-Podcast-iTunes-Cover-1400x1400.pnghttps://www.catholicvote.org/category/culture-2/
mercer@catholicvote.orgIf you like snow and horses and the Mother of God, you will like this.https://www.catholicvote.org/if-you-like-snow-and-horses-and-the-mother-of-god-you-will-like-this/
https://www.catholicvote.org/if-you-like-snow-and-horses-and-the-mother-of-god-you-will-like-this/#respondFri, 09 Dec 2016 11:00:03 +0000https://www.catholicvote.org/?p=11425Every year, around December 12, about 120,000 people descend on the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Chicago suburb of Des Plaines.

The shrine is officially connected to the shrine in Mexico, and is the only other shrine to our Lady of Guadalupe where pilgrims can receive the same favors and indulgences.

Pretty good.

But this is the cool part (if you like snow, horses, etc.). This year, as they have for the last five, about 400 pilgrims on horseback made their way through a heavy snowfall to the shrine, where they were blessed by the rector of the shrine, Fr. Esequiel Sanchez.

Fr. Sanchez himself, wearing a sombrero, entered the shrine on horseback and had this pretty cool thing to say:

“All the evangelization in America happened on horseback so as we bless the horses today we remember that tradition. The key element in the life of a lot of people was a sturdy horse, to be able to make a living and get around. Now it’s become a symbol of a way of life that is very much still treasured and valued.”

All the evangelization in America happened on horseback. Never thought of it that way, but of course it’s true. Isaac Jogues, Jacques Marquette, Junipero Serra…all the great missionaries that brought the Catholic Faith to America were not only priests and evangelists, but experienced horsemen who put in countless hours in the saddle as they traveled across the continent bringing light to the darkness.

(By the way, if years had official questions, the official question of 2016 would be “Who saw this coming?”).

Anyway, the latest bit of 2016 shock and awe to come out of nowhere is that Starbucks will have cups featuring the Nativity this Christmas season. Yes, that Nativity – with Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus.

Pope Francis has been a leading critic of consumerism. Black Friday shows why. Here are a collection of quotes by Pope Francis with pictures of the high holiday of consumerism in America: Black Friday.

“A constant flood of new consumer goods can baffle the heart and prevent us from cherishing each thing and each moment. … To be serenely present to each reality, however small it may be, opens us to much greater horizons of understanding and personal fulfillment.” — Pope Francis (Laudato Si, 222)

“The great danger in today’s world, pervaded as it is by consumerism, is the desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience.” — Pope Francis (Evangelii Gaudium, 2)

“When people become self-centered and self-enclosed, their greed increases. The emptier a person’s heart is, the more he or she needs things to buy, own and consume. It becomes almost impossible to accept the limits imposed by reality.” — Pope Francis (Laudato Si, 204)

“Obsession with a consumerist lifestyle, above all when few people are capable of maintaining it, can only lead to violence and mutual destruction.” — Pope Francis (Laudato Si, 204)

“This paradigm leads people to believe that they are free as long as they have the supposed freedom to consume. But those really free are the minority who wield economic and financial power.” —Pope Francis (Laudato Si, 2032)

]]>https://www.catholicvote.org/black-friday-pictures-and-pope-francis-quotes/feed/0To Not Offend Post-Abortive Women, France Bans Video of Happy Children With Down Syndromehttps://www.catholicvote.org/to-not-offend-post-abortive-women-france-bans-video-of-happy-children-with-down-syndrome/
https://www.catholicvote.org/to-not-offend-post-abortive-women-france-bans-video-of-happy-children-with-down-syndrome/#commentsWed, 23 Nov 2016 04:12:48 +0000https://catholicvote.org/?p=11298I’ve often thought that if a person is truly at peace with a decision, he or she doesn’t feel the need to argue over it, defend it or hide from the consequences of it.

While I have no window into anyone else’s mind or soul, things like this news story really makes one wonder. From CNSNews.com:

France’s Conseil d’État (State Council) banned the award-winning “Dear Future Mom” video from airing on French television due to concerns that the expressions of happy children with Down syndrome in the video were “inappropriate” because they were “likely to disturb the conscience of women who had lawfully made different personal life choices.”

The Council rejected the Jerome Lejeune Foundation’s request last week to lift the ban.

“Dear Future Mom” was produced by the Italian Down Syndrome Advocacy organization CoorDown for World Down Syndrome Day in 2014. The video features smiling children and young adults with Down syndrome from different countries reassuring a worried pregnant woman that her child can be happy.

GADIM (Global Alliance for Disability in Media and Entertainment) has launched a petition on Change.org to “respectfully” ask the French government to intervene and lift the ban.

In part, the petition reads:

No other country has taken the position of France and in fact the video has received acceptance and acclaim worldwide, has attracted significant media coverage and an outstanding 7.2 million views on YouTube alone and has received multiple international awards including 6 Cannes Lions at the prestigious Cannes Festival of Creativity in France. In Australia, for example, the video has been used in some universities to provide medical students with information about life with Down syndrome. It was translated to other languages and shown in countless awareness raising situations in many countries.

The discriminatory ban of the video sends the message that people with Down syndrome are unwelcome in society and has impacted the Down syndrome community around the world who have seen it as a rejection of the effort to challenge negative stereotypes and societal prejudices and to assert the equal and inherent value of the lives of people with Down syndrome.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., A&E Network’s “Born This Way,” a sophomore docu-series focusing on young adults with Down syndrome, recently took home an Emmy Award for Best Unstructured Reality Series (beating out two-time winner, Discovery’s “Deadliest Catch.”).

A&E EVP/Head of Programming Elaine Frontain Bryant this morning called Born This Way “a shining example of what the entertainment business needs more of – powerful, thought-provoking storytelling with a greater purpose.”

EP Jon Murray describes the show as a lesson in learning that bigger is not always better and “earnest” not necessarily bad for a reality docu-soap.

Since the first season of the series, the cast and families have become more trusting of producers and crews, Murray said. “This was a big decision on the part of the young people and their families; they did not want a typical reality show made about them,” he said. “They did not want it to be The Real Down Syndrome Cast of Orange County.”

Now I wonder if “Born This Way” is syndicated to French TV. Probably … not. Just imagine all the consciences that might be disturbed seeing people with Down syndrome all grown up and living productive lives.

While I’m thrilled that “Born This Way” is a hit, it is a shame that, in this day and age, we need a show like this to put a human face on human beings.

But I can share with you my own experience of my brother, George, who was born with Down Syndrome.

My engagement with my brother Georgie was not distant. When our mother died in 1989, I became his legal guardian, and at the age of 48, he came to live with me in the parish rectory in Pennsylvania and later moved with me when I was appointed Bishop of Knoxville, Tennessee.

I remember well how George contributed to the life of the parish I was serving. He was a community builder par excellence. Two weeks had not gone by before he had given each person on the rectory staff a nickname.

In the Old Testament, God gave Abram a new name to claim him as his own, and so Georgie quickly claimed us as part of his family.

At the rectory, Georgie contributed in countless ways. Through a playful “boo,” an occasional hug, and a pat on the back, Georgie brought to the rectory an ease that became infectious. He became a valued co-worker and was greatly missed whenever he would take a vacation.

He was a friend in the evening, and I learned the television schedules for most evenings after 9:30 p.m. His gentle presence forced me to take the time to stop, pause, and enjoy.

I quickly learned how much he was giving to me and to all he encountered. He comforted me after a tough day, responded to my grief at the death of our mother, and helped me to keep things in perspective.

Giving and receiving are intertwined, and we never do one exclusively. In the case of my relating to my brother, it is not a cliché to say I received much more than I ever gave. The gift of my brother overflowed with a cornucopia of concrete acts of love and because of him, I am a better person.

There is no question about the sacrifice that was involved in my relationship with Georgie, but love always calls us to concrete actions and choices and to sacrifice. My brother died in 2001, and I miss him every day.

]]>https://www.catholicvote.org/to-not-offend-post-abortive-women-france-bans-video-of-happy-children-with-down-syndrome/feed/3‘The Face of Mercy’: A New Film Explores Sister Faustina’s Vision for Us Allhttps://www.catholicvote.org/the-face-of-mercy-a-new-film-explores-sister-faustinas-vision-for-us-all/
https://www.catholicvote.org/the-face-of-mercy-a-new-film-explores-sister-faustinas-vision-for-us-all/#respondSat, 19 Nov 2016 04:56:15 +0000https://catholicvote.org/?p=11258Mercy and forbearance.

In this post-election season, as too many people are losing their collective minds and acting like terrified children instead of rational adults, the quality of mercy may indeed become strained. But is is mercy we are called to nonetheless, especially to those who seem the least deserving (even if they are ourselves).

Thanks to the Knights of Columbus, we have a new film to remind us of how important mercy is, and all the ways it continues to work in the lives of the faithful. Since mid-October, “The Face of Mercy,” narrated by Jim Caviezel, has been airing on ABC affiliates around the country under the aegis of the Interfaith Broadcasting Council. It’s also available on DVD.

“These testimonies remind us that Divine Mercy is not just a devotion or theological concept – it is alive, it is present, and it is a force that can transform the world,” Knights of Columbus CEO Carl Anderson said Nov. 14.

The one-hour film “The Face of Mercy” depicts mercy as the antidote to evil even in great difficulty. Narrated by actor Jim Caviezel, the film interweaves history, theology, and testimonials about the importance of mercy in people’s lives.

Testimonies come from Immaculée Ilibagiza, who forgave those who murdered her family in the Rwandan genocide; a New York police officer who works for peace despite having been shot and paralyzed from the waist down; a young widow who forgave the killer of her husband; a baseball player who became a priest; and a former NFL linebacker who now shares Christ’s mercy with the homeless.

The film was produced by the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal order with 1.9 million members worldwide.

Anderson said the film “highlights the sort of transformations that are possible in individual lives that embrace the way of mercy, forgiveness and reconciliation.”

Pope Francis’ Year of Mercy comes to an end on Nov. 30, but what have we learned? What should we have learned? From an essay on the special at the Faith & Family Media Blog:

We often look for answers in the face of injustices — big and small. What does justice look like for a widow whose husband was murdered? Or for a young woman whose family was killed in the Rwandan genocide? What about injustices done to others when we feel powerless to help? If we look at our own lives, there are injustices big and small that seem as if there is no easy answer. This new film dives into the personal stories behind difficult moments such as these.

Divine Mercy is the mysterious answer to this daily experience of disillusionment, fear and injustice. Divine Mercy is a reminder of the reality of the person of Jesus Christ, of the gift of His love and mercy freely given to us. Mercy makes our love capable of forgiving. And only with forgiveness can we live justly with one another in our families, workplaces and towns.

“I often tell people that I am the poster child for Divine Mercy. I’ve hurt so many people and yet there is mercy for someone like me,” Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, says in the film’s trailer.

]]>https://www.catholicvote.org/the-face-of-mercy-a-new-film-explores-sister-faustinas-vision-for-us-all/feed/0What the 2016 Protesters Could Learn from Saint John Paul the Greathttps://www.catholicvote.org/what-the-2016-protesters-could-learn-from-saint-john-paull-ii-polish-solidarity/
https://www.catholicvote.org/what-the-2016-protesters-could-learn-from-saint-john-paull-ii-polish-solidarity/#commentsFri, 18 Nov 2016 20:35:57 +0000https://www.catholicvote.org/?p=11250Protests? Thank God we can hold them. But when they trample life, health, or property in an attempt to terrorize people over the results of a fair election, they cease to be effective or good. The complete counter-productivity of the election protests contains a lesson for all of us, no matter our political stand.

I keep thinking of 1970s and ‘80s Poland. If anyone had reason to protest in recent history, it was the Polish people under post-World War II Communist rule. A tyrannical regime did everything it could to squash them. Catholics and Jews suffered intense persecution as the government sought to abolish religion and mandate loyalty to Communist ideology. Workers were often jailed without reason, and people of faith (especially in fields such as education) were fired and replaced with the regime’s followers. The government manipulated prices of necessary items so that even basic foods were out of financial reach for average citizens. In those times, the victims could have gone out and pillaged, burned, and demanded their way through violence, and many in the world might have called it justified. But Lech Walesa and Pope John Paul II had faith that evil could be defeated through something objectively good.

This Holy Father didn’t focus on hate; he didn’t tear down the people on the opposite side of the battle from him, and he certainly didn’t stand around griping. Instead, he built upwhat he loved. He found two good things to strengthen—the Polish people’s faith and Lech Walesa’s courage. This wise pope didn’t incite. Instead, he threw himself into reinforcing and fostering the truly good things that he sensed could empower the people in his care to withstand the trial and overcome it. Lech Walesa, in turn, strengthened the courage, dignity, and determination of the members of his Solidarity movement. And it worked, eventually leading to the destabilization of the entire Communist regime, election of Walesa himself as president of a newly freed Poland, and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

We do well to learn all we can from the story of Poland’s victory. Every one of us can turn our time and effort towards nourishing something that’s objectively good. For many, it’s the home, our family’s faith, our spiritual life, or our financial health. For others, it’s more along the lines of public service. Either way, we strengthen people against the darkness that’s taking aim at our nation’s collective heart. The paradox is that, very often, the best way to fight something that’s wrong is actually to turn, for a while, in the opposite direction, shoring up something that’s strong, right, and good instead.

The force of something objectively good has God’s power and will behind it, and when we get on that train and start shoveling coal into the firebox, it often defeats the evil with surprisingly few casualties for us.

That could be a wise path to choose. Less time burning other human beings’ stuff, griping about the state the world is in, and affirming the power of all the fears that terrify us the most means more time building up the things—and souls—we can really affect deeply.

]]>https://www.catholicvote.org/what-the-2016-protesters-could-learn-from-saint-john-paull-ii-polish-solidarity/feed/3A Martyr to Intercede for a Nation Dividedhttps://www.catholicvote.org/a-martyr-to-intercede-for-a-nation-divided/
https://www.catholicvote.org/a-martyr-to-intercede-for-a-nation-divided/#respondTue, 15 Nov 2016 21:41:13 +0000https://www.catholicvote.org/?p=11197My last post here also happens to have been about a martyr, and a Byzantine one at that. Again, here I’d like to talk about a martyr (and a Byzantine one!), but less about his life and story, and more about what he has represented for others, and now might represent for us. The man I have in mind is St. Josaphat Kuntsevych, whose feast on many Byzantine and current Latin calendars is November 12th while it is November 14th on that of the old Roman Rite.

St. Josaphat came of age in the aftermath of the Union of Brest, the agreement that brought many former Eastern Orthodox in Poland and Ukraine into union with Rome. He was a monk, and eventually an archbishop. What matters for us here though is the complex situation surrounding his death. A zealous priest, some say he was too much so in trying to coerce Orthodox into conversion; as a result, when he ordered the breaking up of an Orthodox liturgy, some townspeople were enraged, lynching him on November 12, 1623.

Now, I find myself thinking about St. Josaphat right now because of the unity in disunity his life embodied, his complicated tactics that may have fanned the flames of discontent, and, more than anything, his sacrifice, murdered for his commitment to peace in a time of (ecclesiastical) war. After the election, we find ourselves in a time of unrest, of difficulty: protests, riots, threats, and Klan rallies. Our country is hurting; something that America’s Catholic Bishops have specifically noted, asking us to pray:

Heal us from our differences and unite us, O Lord,
with a common purpose, dedication, and commitment to achieve liberty and justice
in the years ahead for all people,
and especially those who are most vulnerable in our midst. Amen.

And so, it occurred to me to seek the intercession of St. Josaphat, a martyr for unity, a complicated figure whose devotion to Christ is not in question. It is my hope that in this time our devotion to peace—our devotion to Christ, most truly—may be beyond question, as we hope and pray for a unity that may well take a long time to come. But even as it seems impossible, there must remain hope; there must remain a prayerful desire for love between brethren.

It is easy to point fingers, to lack faith in hope, no matter your “side.” This is understandable, but, as Christians, we are called beyond that, called beyond mere affirmation of personal views to the unity of the kingdom. And so, may we declare (and find hope) with Pope Pius XI: “The blood of St. Josaphat even today, as it was three hundred years ago, is a very special pledge of peace, the seal of unity.

]]>https://www.catholicvote.org/a-martyr-to-intercede-for-a-nation-divided/feed/0‘Hacksaw Ridge’: Before You Vote, See This to Remember What We’re Fighting to Protecthttps://www.catholicvote.org/hacksaw-ridge-before-you-vote-see-this-to-remember-what-were-fighting-to-protect/
https://www.catholicvote.org/hacksaw-ridge-before-you-vote-see-this-to-remember-what-were-fighting-to-protect/#commentsFri, 04 Nov 2016 03:19:52 +0000https://catholicvote.org/?p=11054Amid all the noise and rancor of Election Season, it’s easy to forget why we do this at all, but director Mel Gibson’s stunning World War II drama “Hacksaw Ridge,” premiering Friday, Nov. 4, is here to remind you of the following things:

Freedom is not free; it is bought in blood and courage.

Faith in Christ is the most powerful weapon we have (whether or not you need to use an actual weapon, which you sometimes do).

To be a true and faithful Christian is to face persecution, but Christ will give you the power to endure and persevere.

There is evil in the world, both supernatural and human. We must mercilessly fight the first and always be ready to defend against the second, while never forgetting mercy.

One man, with God’s help, can work miracles.

Like a candle in the darkness, a spark of faith can shine out and light the world.

Andrew Garfield stars in the fact-based story as Seventh-Day Adventist Desmond Doss, the first conscientious objector (or “conscientious cooperator,” as he puts it) to be a Medal of Honor recipient.

As a lanky young Virginian, he volunteers for the Army as a medic. Sent to a combat unit, he is hazed, abused and brought up on charges for his unwillingness to touch a gun, which makes his fellow soldiers wonder if he can be relied upon in the heat of battle.

But when his unit lands on Okinawa Island and faces an unimaginably brutal battle atop an escarpment called Hacksaw Ridge (because storming it is like running into a hacksaw blade), Doss shows extraordinary courage.

During one night, after an Allied retreat, Doss stays behind on the ridge, where he is estimated to have saved 75 wounded men (as happened in real life), lowering them one by one to safety, all while unarmed.

The story existed first as a documentary (some of the footage of the real people is at the end) then spent several years being developed into a feature film, under the watchful eyes of the Adventists, who held the rights to Doss’ story (he’s a kind of superhero among them).

Strangely, this modern interpretation of a classic World War II movie, with faith laced throughout, appears to be earning Gibson his way back into Hollywood’s good graces. In a recent piece for Patheos, I speculated on why:

So, why should this be the moment — and the low-budget, independent film — where Gibson is forgiven? Maybe somewhere, in its dark, shriveled heart, Hollywood yearns for a hero, for someone who can’t be bought or co-opted or bullied or shamed into being something other than what he is — or what God wants him to be.

And, perhaps, because the film isn’t directly about Jesus, if it’s a financial success, Hollywood can swallow that more gracefully than it did the boffo box-office for “The Passion of the Christ.”

Or, in a studio world of comic-book escapades, CGI fantasies, rubberstamp summer blockbusters and raunchy comedies, Hollywood is ready for a real movie about real people doing real things, with real stakes and real heart.

Either way, Gibson has made something rich and memorable, and it’s long past time that the Pharisees, Philistines and libertines of Tinseltown gave him his due.

“Hacksaw Ridge” has the graphic, realistic violence we’ve come to expect from Gibson, but it’s entirely appropriate for a movie about the horrors of the fighting on Okinawa. As announced at a faith leaders screening I attended, all f-words and blasphemy have been removed — I suspect for the sake of Evangelical viewers — which, considering what’s shown on screen, shows some odd priorities.

There’s still some rough language, but it’s on the milder side.

The movie’s also being marketed to veterans, some of whom have said they find the experience cathartic. At minimum, like “Saving Private Ryan,” it’ll give people who’ve never been in combat a small taste of what those who defend our freedom have endured.

Doss is a man of faith, but not all of his comrades are. But, they believe that he believes, and they believe in him.

In the end, that’s enough.

Click here to see a video I shot at a recent press event, with comments from Gibson and Garfield.

]]>https://www.catholicvote.org/hacksaw-ridge-before-you-vote-see-this-to-remember-what-were-fighting-to-protect/feed/1On the Electionhttps://www.catholicvote.org/on-the-election/
https://www.catholicvote.org/on-the-election/#commentsTue, 01 Nov 2016 14:34:43 +0000https://www.catholicvote.org/?p=11019The following column was published via email by Father George W. Rutler, pastor of the Church of St. Michael in New York City. To subscribe to Father Rutler’s weekly column, click here.

FROM THE PASTOR
October 30, 2016by Fr. George W. Rutler

On the Election

Exactly eight years ago I wrote a column titled “The One We Were Waiting For” in which I referred to a book by Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson, The Lord of the World. That dystopian novel has been cited by Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis said he has read it several times. The protagonist, if one can apply that term to an Anti-Christ, imposed a new world religion with Man himself as god. His one foe was Christianity, which he thwarted in part by using “compromised Catholics and compliant priests to persuade timid Catholics.

Since then, that program has been realized in our time, to an extent beyond the warnings of the most dire pessimists. Our federal government has intimidated religious orders and churches, challenging religious freedom. The institution of the family has been re-defined, and sexual identity has been Gnosticized to the point of mocking biology. Assisted suicide is spreading, abortions since 1973 have reached a total equal to the population of Italy, and sexually transmitted diseases are at a record high. Objective journalism has died, justice has been corrupted, racial bitterness ruins cities, entertainment is degraded, knowledge of the liberal arts spirals downwards, and authentically Catholic universities have all but vanished. A weak and confused foreign policy has encouraged aggressor nations and terrorism, while metastasized immigration is destroying remnant western cultures, and genocide is slaughtering Christian populations. The cynical promise of economic prosperity is mocked by the lowest rate of labor participation in forty years, an unprecedented number of people on food stamps and welfare assistance, and the largest disparity in wealth in over a century.

In his own grim days, Saint Augustine warned against nostalgia: “The past times that you think were good, are good because they are not yours here and now.” The present time, however, might try even his confidence. Sands blow over the ruins of churches he knew in North Africa where the Cross is virtually forbidden. By a blessed irony, a new church is opened every day in formerly Communist Russia, while churches in our own formerly Christian nation are being closed daily. For those who bought into the seductions of politicians’ false hopes, there is the counsel of Walt Kelly’s character Pogo: “It’s always darkest before it goes pitch black.”

It is incorrect to say that the coming election poses a choice between two evils. For ethical and aesthetic reasons, there may be some bad in certain candidates, but badness consists in doing bad things. Evil is different: it is the deliberate destruction of truth, virtue and holiness.

While one may pragmatically vote for a flawed candidate, one may not vote for anyone who advocates and enables unmitigatedly evil acts, and that includes abortion. “In the case of an intrinsically unjust law, such as a law permitting abortion or euthanasia, it is therefore never licit to obey it, or to ‘take part in a propaganda campaign in favor of such a law, or vote for it'” (Evangelium Vitae, 73).

At one party’s convention, the name of God was excluded from its platform and a woman who boasted of having aborted her child was applauded. It is a grave sin, requiring sacramental confession and penance, to become an accomplice in objective evil by voting for anyone who encourages it, for that imperils the nation and destroys the soul.

It is also the duty of the clergy to make this clear and not to shrink, under the pretense of charity, from explaining the Church’s censures. Wolves in sheep’s clothing are dangerous, but worse are wolves in shepherd’s clothing. While the evils foreseen eight years ago were realized, worse would come if those affronts to human dignity were endorsed again. In the most adverse prospect, God forbid, there might not be another free election, and soon Catholics would arrive at shuttered churches and vacant altars. The illusion of indifference cannot long be perpetuated by lame jokes and synthetic laughter at banquets, for there is handwriting on the wall.

The following column was published via email by Father George W. Rutler, pastor of the Church of St. Michael in New York City. To subscribe to Father Rutler’s weekly column, click here.

]]>https://www.catholicvote.org/on-the-election/feed/24Here’s Your Weekend Readinghttps://www.catholicvote.org/heres-your-weekend-reading/
https://www.catholicvote.org/heres-your-weekend-reading/#respondFri, 28 Oct 2016 11:00:03 +0000https://www.catholicvote.org/?p=10943Because you don’t get The Loop again until Monday morning, here are a few items from the last few days and weeks that you may have missed:

Via National Geographic, the empty tomb of Christ has brought together Christians, Jews, and Muslims in an unprecedented effort to restore the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. And they just removed a marble slab that has been over the tomb since the 1500’s. Very cool. Check it out here.

“Wolves in Shepherds’ Clothing”. John Zmirak, founder of The Stream and CV contributor, looks at a new movie about Saul Alinsky and discusses the little-known but startling role that Alinksy played in influencing the Catholic Church in America over the last few decades. See Zmirak’s must-read piece here.

Phil Lawler at Catholic Culture articulates what a lot of Catholics are thinking – the Al Smith Dinner is turning into a scandal and should be cancelled. Read his take on it here.

Why do the police and secret service dread being assigned to Hillary Clinton? Find out here.